Phone calls primary OHSEP contact method

In light of the siren problem in Lake Charles, what methods of communication does the OHSEP have to alert rural areas such
as Starks and Edgerly of train derailments, etc.?

“The primary way we have to contact
people in areas without sirens is by telephone, although we have the
capability parishwide
and use it in conjunction with the sirens,” Dick Gremillion, head
of the Calcasieu Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness, wrote in an email.

“We have access to all landline telephones that are in the 911 database. The system we have will send a voice message describing
what action needs to be taken.”

Additionally, he said, residents can
sign up for the CalcaShout alert service, which provides voice and text
messages to subscribers’
cellphones and email accounts. He said the agency also uses
Facebook, Twitter and Nixle, a community notification service.

“As always, we advise people to tune in to the media or go to their Web pages,” Gremillion said. “We will be notifying the
media in case of an emergency.”

Online: www.cppj.net/index.aspx?page=121.

Coast Guard: Tanks on barge empty

There are five large rusting storage tanks moored on a barge on the northeast side of the Ellender Bridge. They have been
there for months. Why are they there, and what is stored in them?

The tanks are empty, and they and the barge — both privately owned — are securely moored on private property, said Coast Guard
Lt. Will Fediw.

The owner is looking for someone to buy the tanks and doesn’t plan to store anything in them, Fediw said.

“The barges and storage tanks may draw a lot of attention because they are much bigger than the other moored barges at the
nearby Devall Fleeting area,” he wrote in an email.

“However, from our perspective they are
securely moored, empty of product, and not currently viewed as a threat
to the environment
or the waterway. We will continue to monitor the situation to
ensure that it does not pose a threat in the future.”

Online: www.uscg.mil/d8/msuLakeCharles.

Sowela didn’t buy mobile-home park

Who provided the funds for Sowela to buy the trailer park, the state or someone else? And who owned the trailer park?

Neil Aspinwall, chancellor at Sowela Technical Community College, said the trailer park, called Chennault Mobile Village,
was owned by three local business people.

“Sowela did not purchase the trailer park,” he wrote in an email.

“The city of Lake Charles, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and the Chennault International Airport Authority purchased the
trailer park and then transferred ownership of the trailer park to the sate of Louisiana and it then became a part of the
Sowela campus.”

A regional training facility will be built on the site, he said.

The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098, press 5 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.